 INTRODUCTION

There is a great deal of anxiety that our rapid pi-ogress in controlling and adapting our material world has not been matched by corresponding advance in human character and virtue. Indeed most observers feel that moral values are disintegrating on all fronts in public and private life. This is clearly evidenced by a waning respect for parents,, teachers and other civil and legal authorities, increase in violent and destructive behaviours of all types in families, schools, streets, games and entertainment centres. A lack of purpose and direction pervading today's youth resulting in unsatisfactory educational performance and other social evils and a rapid destruction of animal and plant life and the pollution of our environment.

It would not be incorrect to say that whole eco-system is badly and brutally endangered and the very Survival of our society and the world depends Upon the wide spread renewal of individual commitment to active value-based life, Human kind must rediscover a sense of meaning and recapture the feeling of a total dedication to ideals beyond itself, ideals which reinforce that meaning, the ideals which find expression in acts of service to society and the world.

The whole world is convinced that the only effective anti-dote to this cancerous malaise is value based system of education. It is not too late and before it is so, conscious efforts must be made to impart to the younger generation value oriented education. The choice of these values has to be universal that transcends well above all superficial distinctions of race and can be termed as the essence of human life or human values. If these human values are inculcated in the minds and hearts of our children, the twenty first century can promise a hope for a much better future. While efforts can be made to inject the dose of values into the entire educational stream, the prime focus of attention would have to be the impressionable age-group of six to fifteen years. it is these formative years where commitment to values and virtues can be implanted to reap a rich and composite harvest of character and excellence.

The need for including programmes on Value Education in the school curriculum is being felt quite for some time. Various commissions and committees on education appointed by the Govt. of India at different intervals have time and again recommended that the school curriculum should emphasise the inculcation of values in the pupil. National Policy on Education 1986 has also made strong recommendations on this subject. However, it has been observed that Value Education has received largely lip services so far, though without effective Value Education, the country will face crisis of character adversely affecting the quality of life and relationships leading to tensions and strife, There is a strong feeling in favour of teaching Moral, Spiritual and Social values at this juncture.

Keeping this background in view, the Central Board of Secondary Education organised a Seminar-cum-Workshop on Value Education in schools in collaboration with the Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan from 7th to 9th September, 1995 in Delhi. The programme was basically intended for senior principals of the School affiliated to CBSE both within and outside Delhi. About 80 Principals/Senior Teachers participated in the seminar from all over the country and in addition over 20 principals of local schools attended the seminar.

The programme was basically aimed at:

(i) Highlighting the component of Value Education in School curriculum;

(ii) Working out the content and approaches for developing these programmes;

(iii) Bringing out the minimum programme of action for promoting Value Education in Schools

The following topics were discussed during the Seminar-cum-Workshop:-

1. Practices followed for promoting Value Education at present.

2. Methodologies and teaching techniques for promoting Values.

3. Cultural contents of Value Education and Value responsibility.

4. Minimum programme of action of Value Education in schools including assessment or evaluation.

5. Orientation of teachers including Principals.

Eminent Educationists and subject Experts from leading Educational Institutions from various parts of the country were invited to address the participants and lead the discussions. These Resource Persons addressed 5 plenary sessions of 3 days Seminar and papers contributed by them are appended at the end of the report.

The programmes of the Seminar on 7th September, 1995 including the inaugural Session were held at the India International Centre, 40 Max Muller Marg., Lodhi Estate, New Delhi and the subsequent sessions on 8th and 9th September 1995 were held at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi.

H.R. Sharma Director (Acad.)